APPLICATION GUIDELINES Program Goals and Objectives The James L. Baillie Memorial Fund for Bird Research and Preservation (the Baillie Fund) is a project of Bird Studies Canada (BSC), a charitable organization and Canada s non-governmental national body for bird conservation. The Baillie Fund provides grants to individuals, groups and organizations for projects that further Bird Studies Canada s mission: To advance the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of wild birds and their habitats, in Canada and elsewhere, through studies and programs that engage the skills, enthusiasm and support of its members, volunteers, staff and the public. In particular, the Baillie Fund supports projects that address one or more of the following goals: Contribute to our understanding of birds in their natural environment; Increase Canadians appreciation of wild birds and their habitats; and/or Advance the conservation of Canadian birds. General objectives of the Baillie Fund are to: Encourage field studies by amateur naturalists; Encourage projects that involve volunteer naturalists in field work and/or use information gathered by volunteer Citizen Scientists; Support projects that disseminate knowledge about Canadian birds; Support projects that use the public appeal of birds and the enthusiasm of amateur naturalists to engage the public and promote BSC s mission; and Provide seed funding (for up to three years) to launch long-term projects that are expected to become self-supporting or develop other sources of sustainable funding. Atlas-type projects are an exception, and may be funded for their duration. Eligible Projects The Baillie Fund supports research, monitoring, education and conservation projects that involve any wild bird species occurring in Canada. Please note that for eligible multi-year projects, applicants should submit a new proposal each year.
Eligible projects include: Inventory and atlas-type projects that provide information on the distribution and abundance of Canadian birds at various scales; Monitoring projects that provide information on changes in bird populations or other ecological factors, including evaluation of results; Pilot migration monitoring projects (new locations, or new programs at established stations); Research projects that involve studies of birds in their natural environment; Bird conservation science and education projects; Projects that improve public awareness of the needs of Canadian birds; Projects that provide training in field methods to volunteers and interns; Projects that promote the conservation of bird species identified as a priority for conservation provincially, nationally or internationally; and Projects that promote the conservation of Important Bird Areas in Canada. The following are generally considered to be of low funding priority: Publication costs; Birding festivals; Habitat enhancement or restoration; Established migration monitoring programs and other ongoing projects; Bird rehabilitation projects; and Construction of artificial nest structures, nest boxes and viewing platforms. Ineligible projects include: Studies that entail the sacrificing of study subjects; and Land acquisition projects. Geographic Scope Projects must be conducted in Canada, or on Canadian breeding birds on their wintering grounds or along their migratory pathways. Who can apply? Individuals or non-profit organizations may submit applications. For atlas-type projects, applications must be submitted by the sponsoring organization or project coordinator, rather than by individual participants or regional coordinators. Support of graduate student research is not a priority for the Baillie Fund, unless the research clearly involves substantial numbers of volunteers in data collection or in other aspects of the project.
Eligible Costs Baillie Fund support may be used to cover various project costs, including those associated with promoting volunteer involvement, compiling and analysing data collected by volunteers, reasonable field expenses and travel costs, and field equipment and supplies. Please note, however, that overhead expenses (e.g., university overhead, or payroll and accounting fees) are not eligible. The following guidelines have been established regarding eligible salary, travel and living expenses. Salary Expenses: Salaries may only be requested when a strong volunteer component is included in the project; Normally, salaries should account for no more than 25% of the grant request (this includes contracts for services, such as website design and the development of smartphone applications). However, requests to develop smartphone applications for use in northern communities are considered differently and, in such cases, the entire application could be to cover such costs; Salaries may only be paid when there is a demonstrated need (e.g.., for volunteer coordinators, data analysts, or experienced banders); Salaries may not be requested for individuals who are already being paid as part of their duties by a sponsoring agency; Salaries requested must have a minimum 75% matching component that does not include in-kind calculations for volunteer services (i.e., another funding source must be paying for the balance of the salary requested); and Graduate students are not eligible for salary costs if the data collected will, or may be, used as part of their degree program. Travel Expenses: The most economical means of travel must be chosen any deviation from this must be justified; Normally, travel expenses should account for no more than 25% of the grant request. However, requests to travel by aircraft or boat to remote study sites are considered differently and, in such cases, the entire application could be to cover travel costs; Compensation for road travel is based on the rate of 45 cents/km; and Applicants are not eligible for travel expenses if they are already employed and travel expenses for the project are covered by the employer. Living Expenses: Expenses for accommodation and food may be claimed when the volunteer is at least 100 km from their home base. For projects less than 100 km from the home
base, compensation may be considered if justified (e.g., the research site is remote); Living expenses should account for no more than 25% of the grant request; and Per diem claims for food and lodging shall not exceed $35.00/day per person. Please note that for projects conducted in northern or remote areas, travel, food and accommodation combined can account for 100% of the amount requested, but the need for this must be clearly justified. Granting Programs The James L. Baillie Fund has three granting programs: The Regular Grants Program; The Small Grants Program; and The Student Award for Field Research. The application and review process is different for each grant program. Please read the following, decide which grant program fits your project, and follow the application process for that program. (Please note that a given project can only be submitted to one program.) All eligible Regular or Small Grant proposals will be evaluated by the Baillie Fund Committee, using the following criteria: Does the project, as described, advance the goals and objectives of the Baillie Fund; Is the project pertinent and of high quality; Is the project volunteer-based and, if so, how many volunteers are involved; Is the proponent sufficiently qualified to undertake the project; Are the methods sufficiently described for Trustees to determine whether the project is well planned (e.g., are protocols clear, concise and complete; is volunteer training sufficient; are permits and/or property access required and, if so, have they been obtained; and is project publicity adequate); Is the proposal well written; Is the budget realistic, and are there matching funds or partnering organizations; and Is the project likely to be successfully completed? Two small amounts of external money are provided each year, one specifically to support a Regular or Small Grant project that includes banding or other means of marking and tracking Canadian birds, and the other to support a project focusing on cavity nesting species. In the case of the former, funds are intended primarily, though not exclusively, for capture and marking equipment, and preference will be given to studies involving the marking of birds in Canada. In the case of the latter, while studies on any Canadian cavity nesting species are eligible, the funds cannot be used for building nest boxes or for the purchase of nest box materials, and the recipient, if using nest boxes, must agree to implement predator protection methods as recommended by the Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society (http://www.oebs.ca/nestboxes/).
Decisions concerning grants are announced by March and cheques for successful projects are issued in May. For Regular and Small grant projects conducted outside the usual May to December funding and reporting cycle, applications can be submitted in the year preceding the planned activity. However, the funds provided must be used in the year for which they were requested and reporting should be completed within three months of the completion of the project. Regular Grants The Regular Grant program provides grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 to non-profit organizations. Regular Grants may not contribute more than 50% of the total cost of a project; i.e., the amount requested must have at least a 1:1 cash or in-kind contribution match. A minimum of $15,000 is available annually under the Regular Grants program, and normally between six and eight grants are awarded each year. The Regular Grant application deadline is the 15 th of December. Applications must follow the prescribed format and be no longer than 10 pages in 12-point type. Only applications submitted electronically (in.pdf,.rtf or.microsoft Word format) will be accepted. Small Grants The Small Grants program provides grants of between $250 and $1,000 to individuals or non-profit organizations for volunteer-based projects. No matching cash or in-kind contributions are required. A maximum of $5,000 is available annually under the Small Grants program, and normally between three and six Small Grants are awarded each year. The Small Grant application deadline is the 15 th of January. Applications should follow the recommended format and be no longer than six pages. Electronic applications (in PDF, RTF or Microsoft Word format) are encouraged. Faxed applications are not acceptable. Student Award for Field Research. Although support of undergraduate, graduate, or post-doctoral studies is not a priority of the Baillie Fund, it does support one award, The James L. Baillie Student Research Award, which is awarded to a graduate student conducting field studies on Canadian birds in their natural environment. The $2,000 award is administered by The Society of Canadian Ornithologists (SCO), and the application deadline is the 15 th of February.
Information on how to apply for The James L. Baillie Student Award for Field Research is available on the Society of Canadian Ornithologists website at https://www.scosoc.ca/student-awards. The key differences between the three programs are summarized in the following table. Summary of Baillie Fund Granting Programs Regular Grants Small Grants Student Research Award Eligibility Non-profit organizations Individuals or organizations Graduate students Matching Funds Required At least 1:1 match required None required None Required Size of Grants Total Amount Available Annually $1,000 to $5,000 Minimum of $15,000 $250 to $1,000 $2,000 Up to $5,000 $2,000 Number of Grants Awarded Annually Average percentage of projects funded Six to eight Three to six One 45% 36% 4% Call for Proposals October October October Application Deadline 15 th December 15 th January 15 th February Grants Announced March March March For additional information on the various grant programs please contact the Baillie Fund Secretary by e-mail at acoughlan@bsc-eoc.org or phone 1-866-518-0212. Updated: October 2017